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Unit outline_

ITLS6202: Sustainable Logistics and Procurement

Semester 2, 2022 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Procurement of goods and services is an essential business task that has traditionally targeted short-term supply cost reduction. Globalisation and outsourcing creates opportunities for enterprises to better align procurement with longer term corporate strategies. However, this requires collaboration and negotiation within and between organisations, rethinking the role of procurement teams and reconsidering the impacts of sourcing decisions. Stakeholder demands for greater corporate social responsibility require procurement teams to take a strategic approach to spend, category management and sourcing decisions, moving beyond regulatory compliance to facilitate environmentally and socially sustainable outcomes. Ethical and sustainable procurement and logistics creates value for organisations by protecting brand integrity and improving communication, productivity, performance measurement, innovation and supplier diversity. This unit takes a strategic view of procurement, looking beyond the up-front costs and showing how purchasing decisions that consider resilience, entire life cycle costs, environmental and social risks and benefits provide better value. This requires rethinking the involvement of the procurement teams in the design, manufacture, selling and recycling of products and transformation of logistics management practice. Students practice negotiation in realistic industry workshops and gain new insights into effective and persuasive communication for global logistics and supply chain management.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit Transport and Logistics Studies
Credit points 6
Prerequisites
? 
None
Corequisites
? 
TLS5020 or ITLS5000 or ITLS5250 or TPTM5001 or SUST5001
Prohibitions
? 
ITLS6003
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator Jyotirmoyee Bhattacharjya, jyotirmoyee.bhattacharjya@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Final exam (Take-home short release) Type D final exam Final exam
Written exam
40% Formal exam period 3 hours
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO3 LO6
Presentation group assignment Group presentation
n/a
30% Multiple weeks 50 minutes
Outcomes assessed: LO4 LO5 LO6
Assignment Individual assignment
n/a
30% Week 13
Due date: 06 Nov 2022 at 23:59
2000 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO6
group assignment = group assignment ?
Type D final exam = Type D final exam ?

Assessment summary

Individual assignment: The individual assignment covers content delivered during the first half of the semester. The assessment task will be provided via Canvas. Students will be expected to submit the completed work via Canvas in Week 13.

Group presentation: The presentations in Weeks 8 and 9 will focus on your managerial understanding of negotiation skills required for developing sustainable buyer-supplier relationships. Students will need to sign up for groups by Week 7.  

Final exam: The final exam will covers all content delivered this semester and take place. The exam paper will be provided via Canvas. Students will be expected to submit their work via Canvas during final exam week.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name

Mark range

Description

High distinction

85 - 100

Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an exceptional standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school. 

Distinction

75 - 84

Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a very high standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.

Credit

65 - 74

Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a good standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.

Pass

50 - 64

Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an acceptable standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school. 

Fail

0 - 49

When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 01 Introduction to Procurement Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO6
Week 02 Sustainable Procurement: Introduction to Standards Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO6
Week 03 Sustainable Procurement: Environmental Impacts Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO6
Week 04 Sustainable Procurement: Social Impacts Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO6
Week 05 Sustainable Procurement: Traceability Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO6
Week 06 Sustainable Procurement: Economic Impacts and Corruption Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO6
Week 07 Source-to-Contract (S2C) Processes: Negotiating Sustainable Buyer-Supplier Relationships Workshop (3 hr) LO4 LO5 LO6
Week 08 Source-to-Contract (S2C) Processes: Negotiating Sustainable Buyer-Supplier Relationships (assessed) Presentation (3 hr) LO4 LO5 LO6
Week 09 Source-to-Contract (S2C) Processes: Negotiating Sustainable Buyer-Supplier Relationships (assessed) Presentation (3 hr) LO4 LO5 LO6
Week 10 Draft Individual Assignment Due Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO6
Week 11 Source-to-Contract (S2C) Processes: Routes to Market and Contracts Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO6
Week 12 Source-to-Contract (S2C) + Procure-to-Pay (S2P) = Source-to-Pay (S2P) Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO6
Week 13 Wrap-up Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. Integrate and synthesise understanding of a sustainable procurement cycle, including logistics processes, in a variety of industry contexts
  • LO2. Apply a range of research skills to diagnose challenges to implementing sustainable procurement and logistics practice and identify creative solutions to these problems
  • LO3. Devise sustainable procurement and logistic plans that align with corporate strategies of economic, environmental and social sustainability and resilience
  • LO4. Prepare for working in real business environments by working collaboratively with diverse teams, integrating different cultural perspectives in the development of a presentation for an industry audience.
  • LO5. Lead collaborative and cooperative conversations in teams for the development of negotiation strategies and implementation of buyer-supplier negotiations
  • LO6. Demonstrate ethical and social awareness and responsibility in decision-making as expected of procurement and logistics professionals

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

This unit is being offered for the second time. It takes a practice-oriented approach to discussing sustainability in supply chains.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.